Guide to Menorca

Mahón and Eastern Menorca Central Menorca Ciutadella and Western Mallorca

Guide to Menorca – Introduction

Menorca is probably the most beautiful, little visited and worthwhile island in the Balearics. With a couple of fascinating towns, a simply stunning little-touched coastline and a rural, picture perfect interior, it is easy to see why Menorca has its ardent supporters and regular visitors.

The island has a population of a little less than 100,000 people and its towns are low-slung and stick almost entirely to the traditional whitewashed local architecture. There is very little of the monolithic concrete jungle that features so prominently in many of the towns and resorts of Menorca’s big sister, Mallorca. The punishment meted out to Menorca for its lack of cooperation in the Spanish Civil War towards Franco was to not recieve the modernisation and mass tourism that so enriched Mallorca – quite the irony when Menorca now has a higher quality of tourism due to its tranquil underdeveloped scene.

Menorca has passed repeatedly between French, British and of course Spanish hands. The most notable impact from a nationality other than the Spanish came from the British who occupied the island for nearly one hundred years in the 18th century – importantly moving the capital to the city of Mahon which still to this day retains an air of British influence.

The island can be quite easily split into three segments to make exploration easier. The east of the island (featuring Mahón), the more rural central area (with a string of stunning beaches to the south) and the West of the island (which features Menorca’s second city, Ciutadella).